Framework’s main claim to fame is its commitment to modular, upgradeable, repairable laptops. The jury’s still out on early 2024’s Framework Laptop 16 and mid-2025’s Framework Laptop 12, neither of which has seen a hardware refresh, but so far, the company has released half a dozen iterations of its flagship Framework Laptop 13 in less than five years. If you bought one of the originals right when it first launched, you could go to Framework’s site, buy an all-new motherboard and RAM, and get a substantial upgrade in performance and other capabilities without having to change anything else about your laptop.
Framework’s laptops haven’t been adopted as industry-wide standards, but in many ways, they seem built to reflect the flexibility and modularity that has drawn me to desktop PCs for more than two decades.
That's what makes the Framework Desktop so weird. Not only is Framework navigating into a product category where its main innovation and claim to fame is totally unnecessary. But it’s actually doing that with a desktop that’s less upgradeable and modular than any given self-built desktop PC.
The Framework Desktop has a lot of interesting design touches, and it's automatically a better buy than the weird AMD Ryzen AI Max-based mini desktops you can buy from a couple of no-name manufacturers. But aside from being more considerate of PC industry standards, the Framework Desktop asks the same question that any gaming-focused mini PC does: Do you care about having a small machine so much that you would pay more money for less performance, and for a system you can't upgrade much after you buy it?
Design and assembly
Andrew Cunningham Opening the Framework Desktop's box. The PC and all its accessories are neatly packed away in all-recyclable carboard and paper. Opening the Framework Desktop's box. The PC and all its accessories are neatly packed away in all-recyclable carboard and paper. Andrew Cunningham Andrew Cunningham Digging deeper. Digging deeper. Andrew Cunningham Andrew Cunningham The heatsink is already installed and the internal cables are already hooked up, so even the DIY Edition doesn't require too much assembly. The heatsink is already installed and the internal cables are already hooked up, so even the DIY Edition doesn't require too much assembly. Andrew Cunningham Digging deeper. Andrew Cunningham The heatsink is already installed and the internal cables are already hooked up, so even the DIY Edition doesn't require too much assembly. Andrew Cunningham Andrew Cunningham Opening the accessory box to find the power cable, Expansion Cards, and tiles. Andrew Cunningham The desktop with its fan installed and front and side panel removed.
My DIY Edition Framework Desktop arrived in a cardboard box that was already as small or a bit smaller than my usual desktop PC, a mini ITX build with a dedicated GPU inside a 14.67-liter SSUPD Meshlicious case. It's not a huge system, especially for something that can fit a GeForce RTX 5090 in it. But three of the 4.5-liter Framework Desktops could fit inside my build's case with a little space leftover.